An off-duty Decatur Police Officer had been following the driver as he swerved and hit a mailbox, but the officer lost sight of him shortly before the crash.

Mattawan Quick Response and the Mattawan Fire Department responded to a call of a one-vehicle crash with entrapment at 11:41 p.m., and the Decatur officer, on the scene shortly afterward, confirmed that the 2006 Honda Pilot that crashed was indeed the vehicle he had been following.

According to police, after the officer lost sight of the vehicle, it ran the stop sign at 25th Street and Red
Arrow Highway, went through a yard, struck a tree stump and then rolled once, coming to rest back on its tires.

The driver has been charged with Operating While Intoxicated With A High Blood Alcohol Content/Super Drunk.

During the crash, debris came off of the driver’s vehicle and damaged a blue 2009 Toyota passenger car that was parked in a nearby driveway.

The man was transported to Lakeview Bronson ER by Van Buren Emergency Medical Service ambulance, and has since been moved to the Bronson Trauma Unit in Kalamazoo.